Arts Council of Wales at a Glance 5

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Arts Council of Wales at a Glance 5 Y Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus / Public Accounts Committee PAC(5)-28-17 P1 GENERAL ACTIVITIES Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2017 Charity number 1034245 In this report… What we do… 4 Arts Council of Wales at a glance 5 Chair’s statement 6 Performance Report and Operational Review 8 Chief Executive’s statement 9 Our priorities 10 Public benefit 12 Our performance overall 13 Performance highlights against key objectives 16 Building resilience 19 Principal risks and uncertainties 20 Financial and business review 24 Equalities 28 Welsh language 30 Issues of well-being and sustainability 31 The year ahead 34 Cover: Bedwyr Williams, Tyrrau Mawr, 2016. Artes Mundi 7 2 Accountability Report 37 Corporate Governance 38 Our Trustees 38 Statement of Council’s and the Accounting Officer’s responsibilities 43 Accounting Officer’s confirmations 44 Governance statement 45 Remuneration and Staff Report 56 Parliamentary Accountability and Audit Report 60 The Certificate and Report of the Auditor General for Wales 61 Financial Statements 63 Consolidated statement of financial activities 64 Consolidated balance sheet 65 Consolidated statement of cash flows 66 Notes forming part of the financial statements 67 Annex (not forming part of the financial statements) 86 Grants awarded 87 3 What we do… The Arts Council of Wales is the country’s official public body for funding and developing the arts. Every day, people across Wales are enjoying and taking part in the arts in Wales. We help to support and grow this activity. We do this by using the public funds that are made available to us by the Welsh Government and by distributing the proceeds we receive from the National Lottery. By managing and investing these funds in creative activity, the Arts Council contributes to people’s quality of life and to the cultural, social and economic well-being of Wales. Take a look at our short animation explaining why The Arts Matter http://www.arts.wales 4 Arts Council of Wales at a glance 151 schools supported 1,367 by the Lead Creative Schools funding programme applications 14 (2015/16: 128) processed Creative Wales awards to (2015/16: 1,417) individual artists (2015/16: 15) 64,058 participatory sessions were run by our portfolio of funded 513 organisations, resulting in performances attendances of supported by the Arts Council’s 1.1m 24 ,014 Night Out scheme arts events were run (2015/16: 536) by our portfolio of funded organisations, 1,177 generating attendances of Collectorplan loans to support 4.2m the purchase of contemporary art 8% (2015/16: 1,098) Arts Council running costs as a 149 proportion of total expenditure international exchange projects (2015/16: 7.3%) supported (2015/16: 153) 5 Chair’s statement Enabling the arts to thrive, not merely to survive This has also been evident in our place- As I reflect on my based community regeneration first year as Arts programme Ideas: People: Places. From Council of Wales Swansea High Street to Caernarfon Chair, I feel Quay, I’ve seen how exceptionally skilled enormously excited artists are helping local communities to by the evidence I’ve find their voice and contribute to the key found of a nation projects that are improving the places in alive with creative which they live and work. energy. Identifying and nurturing talent is part of I’ve made it my the Arts Council’s creative DNA. So it’s business this past been a particular pleasure to see the year to travel widely impact of our educational partnership across Wales, with the Welsh Government, Creative seeing work, meeting artists, talking to Learning through the Arts. Creative skills the partners who work so hard with us to are key. They will permeate all areas of keep the arts alive. The dynamism, business activity in the future – the imagination and sheer energy that I’ve successful economies in the years to witnessed – in many different places – come will be those that can capitalise on has been as humbling as it has been their creative potential, enabling social inspiring. inclusion and putting people and skills – ‘human capital’ – at their core. In We’re well used to the excellence of our today’s society this is as critical as any national companies, routinely other economic resource. performing with distinction at home and across the world. And no-one who was Creative Learning is ensuring that there will forget the sight of 200,000 creative practice and techniques people flooding Cardiff city centre for illuminate and support all aspects of the the extraordinary Roald Dahl celebration school curriculum, raising standards of promoted by Wales Millennium Centre attainment and learning. We’re seeing and National Theatre Wales. But I’ve some extraordinary effects, with the also been hugely moved by the work of programme present in more than 500 those achieving equally outstanding schools across Wales over the three outcomes in more local settings. years to date. From Ucheldre in Holyhead to Valleys Developing the creative skills of our Kids and Head for Arts in the South young people is a natural priority. But Wales Valleys, Wales has an impressive our mission to make the arts central to network of organisations embedded in people’s lives extends further. Given the their local communities demonstrating impact that the arts can have, it’s day in, day out just how important the essential that they’re able to be enjoyed arts are to people’s well-being and by the widest possible cross-section of quality of life. the Welsh public. 6 Working with Council this year, I’ve been Finally, I must thank my excellent Council determined that we must do more to colleagues who give so generously of reach those communities who have yet to their time and expertise. At the end of benefit from the activities that we the year we saw the retirement of two support. Talent is everywhere, stalwart members of Council – our Vice opportunity is not. This must change. Chair, Kate Woodward, and Margaret Jervis. They have brought wisdom, There have also been changes to the Arts experience and insight to our work. Council itself. In the face of continuing They leave a Council that is pressure on public funds, it’s important immeasurably better for the contribution that as much money as possible goes that they’ve made. directly to the arts. Over recent years we’ve cut our costs and reduced staff numbers by around 25%. It’s been a challenging process for our hard- working and committed staff, but it’s been the right thing to do. Phil George Chair 7 Performance Report and 83% Operational Review of children in Wales attended Review Operational and Report Performance the arts (2015/16: 89%) 78% Source: Children’s Omnibus Survey of adults in Wales attended the arts (2015/16: 79%) Source: Wales Omnibus Survey 3,361 Disabled Visitors Cards issued via 7,543 our Hynt participatory sessions run 9,973 by our portfolio of funded participatory sessions scheme organisations were were run by our targeted at people in the portfolio of funded protected characteristics group, resulting in organisations in attendances of Welsh, resulting in attendances of 137,131 191,620 86% of children in Wales took part in arts activity (2015/16: 89%) Source: Children’s Omnibus Survey 8 Chief Executive’s statement Taking action to make the arts stronger Much of our A resilient organisation is embedded work is about within the community that it serves, and Performance Report and Operational Review Operational and Report Performance creating a it adopts a business model that can supportive withstand change, whether planned or environment in unexpected. A resilient organisation is which artists and one that has the skill, capacity and drive arts to endure in the longer term. organisations can prosper. These organisational characteristics We believe apply as much to the Arts Council as to passionately that those who we fund. It’s very important the arts improve that we demonstrate that we’re subject to our well-being the same disciplines as organisations and quality of life, and we’re determined across the public sector. So during that these benefits should be available to 2016/17 we undertook a comprehensive everyone in Wales. This is our arts review of our costs and staffing, reducing development mission. But it’s a mission both so that we could invest more that comes under stress when resources funding directly into the arts. tighten. The pressure on public funds continues From 2000, there was more than a unabated. In this report you’ll find out decade of sustained public and Lottery how we’ve responded to this challenge investment in our cultural life. However, during 2016/17. We explain what we’ve the five years of funding cuts that done and set out some of our successes. followed have meant that the value of But we also identify where we’ve fallen the growth in Welsh Government short, in a small number of areas, of the funding in the 1990s and 2000s has targets we had hoped to achieve. been eroded. Combined grant-in-aid and National Lottery funding is worth Most importantly, we highlight some of less today than it was 21 years ago. the exceptional activity that people across Wales have been able to enjoy If the arts in Wales are not only to over the year. At their best – and it’s the survive but to thrive, they’ll need strong, best we strive to encourage – the arts entrepreneurial leadership. So we’re excite, inspire and entertain. Making the working with artists and organisations to arts stronger, and ensuring that they enable them to be imaginative and touch people’s lives across Wales – these innovative, squeezing the maximum are the goals that drive our work.
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